Toshiba grows iPod lookalike

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
Toshiba is taking a page out of Apple's book with an upcoming music player for the Japanese market that bears more than a passing resemblance to Apple's iPod. The Gigabeat MEG50JS, launching in Japan on 22 June, is a palm-sized aluminium alloy device which, like iPod, features a round controller and a backlit square display. Like the first iPod, it features a miniature 5-gigabyte (GB) hard drive, which Toshiba says is big enough to hold about 1,000 five-minute MP3 or WMA music tracks. (The current iPod model uses a 10GB hard drive.) Design similarities aside, the Toshiba device has several significant differences from iPod that stem from the lack of FireWire connectivity. IPod uses FireWire -- found in all newer Macintosh computers -- to quickly transfer tracks as well as to recharge. Gigabeat relies on USB 2.0, which is quickly appearing in newer PCs, for fast data transfer. The technology is backward-compatible with the ubiquitous USB 1.1 standard. USB 2.0 transfers data at 480 megabits per second (Mbps), compared with FireWire's 400Mbps and a mere 12Mbps for USB 1.1. Toshiba says the connector can shift a CD's worth of tracks in about 30 seconds. Since USB conveys relatively little power, the device uses a separate AC adapter, and can charge up in three and a half hours, according to Toshiba. Gigabeat contains a lithium ion battery that lasts for about 18 hours of continuous play without the screen backlight on, Toshiba said. Gigabeat is built around a miniature hard drive wrapped in a PC Card, so that it can be ejected and plugged into a laptop or any desktop machine with the interface. Users can also swap out different cards for extra memory, although the problem is unlikely to crop up right away. The device measures 7.2cm x 2.2cm x 11.2cm and weighs 235g with the drive inserted. By comparison, iPod weighs 185g and is about 1cm less in width and height. The 160 x 120 pixel display uses a menu available in Japanese, English, French, Spanish and German, Toshiba said. Gigabeat will cost 50,000 yen (about £270) at launch in Japan, including a 5GB hard drive. Drives will also be available separately in 2GB and 5GB models, costing 20,000 yen and 40,000 yen. Toshiba said that the device would eventually be sold in the US and Europe but representatives were unaware of a European launch schedule. Toshiba manufactures the hard drive found in Apple's iPod.
See the Hardware News Section for the latest update on everything from MP3 players and PDAs to supercomputing. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

9 minutes ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

12 minutes ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 hours ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 hours ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

3 hours ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

4 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

4 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

4 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

5 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

5 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

5 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

5 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

8 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

10 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

10 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

11 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

12 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
Marcus Karlsson

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

13 hours ago by Marcus Karlsson via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

21 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

1 day ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility